Buckskin Gulch

I just finished an incredible experience. Buckskin Gulch, a tributary of the Paria River is about 40 miles east of Kanab and is considered to be the longest slot canyon in the world. It is 12 miles of twisting, turning canyon between high rock walls carved by eons of water wearing away softer rock and leaving a display of nature unequaled anywhere. The only place I have been that even comes close is the Narrows in Zion National Park, and that is like comparing a hamburger to a fillet Mignon.


I hiked Buckskin Gulch this week with some friends from up north. The idea originated with Kevin. He was feeling bad about missing the Grand Canyon hike in May because of a family trip, and suggested we do Buckskin Gulch. I must admit I knew very little about it, but with the help of Google was soon excited to go. Soon Jeff had joined our group and then his wife, Marta. Kevin's wife Cindy had previously expressed interest and now that another woman was going joined in. Jeff convinced his friend Gary to go, and that completed our group.

We planned our trip in late September, hoping the flash-flood season would be over. You really don't want to be caught in a slot canyon during a flood. Especially a 12 mile slot canyon. We met at the Whitehouse Campground on the Paria Friday morning, left a vehicle there and shuttled the other to the Wirepass Trailhead about 15 miles to the southwest along the Houserock Valley road.

We started hiking around 9:00am down Wirepass Canyon to Buckskin Gulch and from there down to it's confluence with the Paria River, a total of 13 miles. We had full packs which increased the difficulty of the hike, but otherwise it was not difficult.

There was water in places, the deepest being about three feet, and places where the walls were so narrow you had to squeeze through.

There was also a spot or two where you had to get on hands and knees, and one spot where Kevin was watching the ground and bumped his head on a log jambed cross ways in the channel.


There is one spot where you have to go over a rock jamb that requires a rope, but it is only about 15 feet and not difficult. We only took a short break for lunch, and reached the confluence of the Paria and our camping spot around 6:00pm.

There are places along the hike where the canyon widens and there is vegetation growing along sandy shelves above water line, but few are suitable for camping. There is one such spot at the confluence large enough for several camps and that is where we stayed the night. After setting up and having supper it was getting dark. Fires are not permitted so there wasn't much to do but crawl into the sleeping bag. With the help of a Lunesta, I was out like a light. I heard some snoring and tossed and turned on my skinny sleeping pad but otherwise slept quite well for a good eight hours and then only partially for the next two.



Up around seven we had breakfast and packed up and were on the trail by around 8:30 am. We hiked the seven miles up the Paria to the Whitehouse campground, arriving before 1:00pm. This section of the Paria is also quite spectacular. At Whitehouse it is fairly ordinary, but just a mile or so down it deepens and narrows into a spectacular show of nature surpassed only by the Buckskin.


After shuttling vehicles we ate lunch in Kanab and parted ways, I returned to New Harmony through Zion, the rest of the group headed back north. All in all, it was an incredible experience. Friendships deepened, nature treasured and God glorified for his marvelous creations. If you do much outdoors, you probably notice that as you grow older the ground gets harder. I was beginning to think I was too old for such nonsense, but this experience has rekindled that old flame that must have been smoldering inside because now I can't wait for the next opportunity to load up that pack and hit the trail.

Hiking Mount Holly

On Saturday, September 6th, Jillyn, Kenny and I set out to conquer Delano Peak. Delano, at 12,173 feet in elevation, is the high point for both Beaver and Piute Counties. One more peak I need to complete my goal of hiking the highest in every county.

Things went well at first, it was a gorgeous day and after a little hunting found the trailhead. We chose to take the long route, approximately 10 miles round trip with about 2,200 feet of vertical gain. There is another route that is about three miles round trip with just over 1000 feet of vertical gain, but that seemed too easy so we opted for the longer route.



The trail started through a densely forested area just above the Mount Holly ski area. At least it used to be Mount Holly. I think it took the name of Elk Meadows for a while and now I think it has become a private resort or something, who knows what the name is now. The trail is quite moderate and the going easy for the first few miles. There is a lot of down timber but the trail has been maintained recently. All the reports I had read on this hike said that this trail was easy to follow until it starts the ascent of the peak, then it is just scrambling up the mountain. I had done my research and thought I was well prepared but I made a few mistakes. I traced the route on my mapping program but forgot to load it on my GPS. The second mistake was that I read the map wrong. We came to a creek in a grassy area beneath a huge mountain we thought was Delano so we started climbing. Kenny tried to tell me we were on the wrong mountain but I didn't listen and when we were about half way up Mount Holly I decided he was right. We knew we were less than half a mile from the top but the GPS said Delano was still almost two miles away.



We decided to continue to the summit, and then see if we could go on to Delano. It was too far to go back to the trail we had left and start over. I'm glad we continued as Mount Holly is an awesome mountain. I found an arrowhead along the slopes and we sighted mountain goats feeding near the top. We finally got close enough to one group of goats to get a photo, then they disappeared down the other side which is nearly sheer cliffs. There were two other groups over on Delano. One looked like around 30 or more, the other about half that. They are really easy to spot as their white coats really stand out against the darker colors of the mountain.



As usual on these high mountain peaks the wind was blowing and it was cold enough to put on a jacket. As we looked toward Delano Peak, it seemed a little daunting. If we took the high route by staying on the ridgeline, we would have to make a scramble up some fairly steep slopes. Not that it was impossible, but Jillyn's shoes didn't have the best tread and it would be slippery, and we all agreed it would be tough. We decided to descend the canyon between us and Delano and see if we wanted to hike it from the west side. Once we reached the bottom we decided it was too much for us to tackle that day and so we continued down to meet the trail we should have stayed on longer.



It's a good thing we didn't try Delano. When we got back to the vehicle we all agreed it would have done us in. Although we didn't summit Delano, we did summit Mount Holly and got a chance to experience the high country of the Tushar Range. I plan to go back in the near future and try Delano again. I think next time I will take the easy route.

Big Buck Blog

A few days ago Ellie and I made a road trip to hike some peaks in Wayne and Garfield County. We spent the night in Hanksville, and when we arrived there we went to the local BLM office for some information. A young man there, upon learning that we were going to Mount Ellen, advised us to go early. He said that we would see some fantastic bucks, and that the herd in the Henry Mountains, of which Mount Ellen is a part, is one of the best in the nation.


We arrived in the high country as the sun was coming up, and boy did we see a lot of nice bucks! What the photos lack in quality they make up for in content. You can enlarge by clicking on the photo.

This first group had six bucks and a few does and fawns.







Then there were a few singles here and there.



And some doubles



This bunch had 13



This bunch had 14 scattered around this side hill.



Below is a closer look at one of the bucks in the photo above. It isn't very clear but I wanted to show the massive horns.



Anyone want to go hunting with me?

Road Trip - Day Two

The second and final day of the road trip we got up early and were on the road shortly after six am. We drove south out of Hanksville on highway 95 for about 10 miles, then cut off on a dirt road to the west. There are several ways to get where we were going and we eventually ended up on Sawmill Basin Road which leads into the heart of the Henry Mountains. The road is pretty rough at first, the soil has been washed out by recent rains leaving mostly rocks. As you climb higher the road improves and so does the scenery. The bare Mount Ellen ridge line loomed above us, bathed in sunlight as the sun rose behind us. It looked awesome. The vegetation changed from desert to Juniper and Pinion, to pine and aspen lush with grass.

As we reached the higher elevations we began to see deer in abundance. At first it was does and fawns, then bucks! The first group of bucks had 6 ranging from small to medium. They were only 50 or so yards off the road and they ate and glanced at us without fear as I got out and took pictures. Further along we saw more bucks. Some far away on the top of the ridge looked large as they raised their heads to show off their huge antlers. Rounding a corner we came upon another herd. This group had 13 bucks, some of them nearing trophy size.

Another bend or two in the road and we reached our destination, the Mount Ellen trail head. We parked and loaded our pack and headed out the ridge. The hike was fairly easy though you could tell the air was thin at 10,500 feet. Around another bend we spotted another herd of bucks, 14 in all. There were some monsters in this group. I watched them through the binoculars for a while, took some photos, then continued on up the trail. We also saw two coyotes, a couple of marmots and a horny toad!

Arriving at what we thought was the high point, Ellie decided to wait rather than risk turning an ankle on the loose rock. I went on to fine that actual high point was two more peaks to the north, about 1/3 mile further. I quickly hiked over to it, took some photos, signed the log and joining Ellie returned to the vehicle.

Our road trip continued, leaving the Henry Mountains by continuing on the same road to the west which eventually lead us to the bottom and a junction at a place called Sandy Ranch. Here we took the Notum Road to the south for about 20 miles where it meets the Burr Trail. We are back in Capitol Reef National Park for a few miles, and they are spectacular. The road here makes the switchbacks to the Zion Tunnel look like kid's stuff, and this is a dirt road! It winds through awesome rock formations and where it finally leaves the park we find asphalt again. About this time Ellie is thinking we should call this a Dirt Road Trip!



The Burr Trail is about 40 miles of road winding through a spectacular part of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and ending up at highway 12 in the town of Boulder. Highway 12 from Boulder to Escalante is equally spectacular. It is 30 miles carved through mostly solid rock, and in places there is just the width of the road with drop offs of several hundred feet on both sides.

In Escalante we stopped at the telephone office and visited with a friend Brant Barton. We wanted to also say hello to Mark Mclemore but I guess he heard us coming and disappeared. After lunch at the local park we paid a visit to old friends Dan and Lois Spencer, then headed on, passing through Henriville, Cannonville, Tropic, Bryce Canyon and Red Canyon, eventually connecting to highway 89. We went down 89 to Todd's Junction and took highway 14 over Cedar Mountain to Cedar, then I-15 to exit 24 and highway 144 back to New Harmony, arriving

around 8:00pm.

If you have read this far you are probably fairly bored with all the highways and directions, I guess I included that as much for my memory as anything. I thought it was a great trip. We got to see a lot of new country, I got to bag a couple of county high points, and we were able to do it together. I especially loved seeing the bucks and am now trying to figure out how to get a tag and someone to hunt there with me. (Joel, hope you read this). Watch for another blog in the near future with some 'big buck' photos.

Road Trip - Day One

Ellie and I just had what I consider to be a fantastic mini-vacation. It probably wouldn't be her first choice, but she is a good sport and went along, and In fact I think she actually enjoyed most of it. She said that next year she gets to choose and we will be going to BYU Education Week. I guess we'll see how good a sport I am.

I am a peak-bagger. For those of you that don't know what that is, it is a person that likes to see how many mountain peaks they can hike. I enjoy hiking, it is a great motivator to stay in shape. I do not do technical climbing. I don't take ropes, pitons or caribeaneers. Most peaks in Utah don't require technical climbing. I set a goal in 2003 to hike the highest point in every county in Utah and now have twenty done, with six to go. If you are really astute you will say, "Hey dummy! Utah has 29 counties" and you would be right. However there are only 26 high points because some of them are right on the county line and are the highpoint for two counties. If you are interested in this challenge you might want to check my web page at http://www.vernile.com/Hiking/Hiking.htm.

Anyhow, I wanted to bag a couple of peaks and talked Ellie into going with me. We left early Thursday morning (8/28) and headed north. We drove up I-15 to the Buckhorn Flat, then took highway 20 across Bear Valley to highway 89. From there we went north through Circleville, and a few miles further north took highway 62 to Koosharem. We took the Brown's Lane cut-off to highway 24 and on into Loa. After consulting with a friendly employee in the Forest Service office we continued out South Main onto a dirt road which leads to the Aquarius Plateau in the Boulder Mountains. The drive into the mountains was through semi-arid low land which changed to pinion pine and juniper, then to quaking aspen and pine. A little over an hour on the dirt road and we were parked about a quarter mile from Blue Bell Knoll, the highest point in Wayne County.

The short hike to the top of Blue Bell was easy, though your lungs could tell you were at 11,000 plus feet in elevation. At the high point we found a rock pile and a container with a log book. All the higher peaks have this. We spent a little time looking through the logs and taking pictures, then headed back to the car. On the way back down the mountain we stropped in a shady place and made sandwiches from our cooler.

We took a slightly different route when we hit the flat land and ended up catching highway 24 just east of Bicknell. We backtracked just to take a look at the town that is the home of Wayne High School, then turned around and headed east again. We passed through the beautiful little town of Torrey, gateway to Capitol Reef National Park, and then on to the park itself. We stopped at some of the points of interest, took photos and reminisced about a family vacation there many years ago.

Back on highway 24 we continued east through the park, through the town of Caneville and on to Hanksville, where we had reservations at the Whispering Sands Motel. Before checking in we stopped at the local BLM office and got a map and some local tips for our trip through the Henry Mountains on day two. They have a very interesting waterwheel and mill that they have moved out of the mountains and re-assembled behind the BLM office. It is worth looking at.

We checked into the motel and rested a while, then went to dinner at a local restaurant. It wasn't much to write about except that they had a dinner special for $6.99, which we tried and it was okay. Probably great for the price. Later at the motel we met up with John Spevak, my sister Claudine's husband, who is working near there and staying at the same motel, and had a good visit.